Disclaimer: I do not claim the rights to Star vs. the Forces of Evil or any of the characters that appear in the show. They are the property of Daron Nefcy and Disney. I do, however, claim the rights to any original characters that may appear in this story as well as the plot, and would kindly ask for a permission request should you want to include any of the story elements in your own works.

Star vs. the Forces of Evil: Staring it up!

Epilogue

Final Chapter (Thus Ends...)

The Underworld, Castle Lucitor

Trisha softly closed the door as she exited the room, taking great care that her talons did not scratch or damage the wood, and sighed a deep, tired sigh, then made her way down one of the elongated hallways that were the norm in demonic architecture. She could never quite understand demons' fascinations with long and narrow corridors, but then again, she didn't expect to given that she was only part-demon. She preferred her library tower. It was tall and spacious, and one of the few places in Castle Lucitor that allowed her to flap her wings properly. Flight in narrow spaces felt so awkward.

She arrived at her destination and opened the heavy iron-hinge door before her, shutting it softly as she stepped through. Still facing the door, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply in a feeble attempt to calm her mind.

"...how is she?" a voice asked, and Trisha spun to face Tom, worry garnishing his demonic features. Trisha shook her head.

"It's bad, lor- um, Tom," Trisha quickly corrected herself, blushing light, then took a breath to regain her composure, and continued, "her body is unharmed, and yet..." Trisha struggled to find the right words. Despite having memorised over twenty different dictionaries and encyclopedias during her years working as the librarian of the Lucitor family, words did not come naturally to her.

Tom saw her distress and stepped over to place a comforting hand on her shoulder and to flash her a reassuring smile. "It's alright, Trisha," Tom said, "just be honest with me."

A blush threatened to creep onto her cheeks, but she knew that now was not the time for... immodest thoughts. She gathered her resolve, and said, "It's odd. I used magic to examine her, yet the results I got were strange. As I've said, there is nothing wrong with her, and yet it feels as though she is, erm, fragmented."

"Fragmented?"

Trisha nodded. "I believe that to be the most appropriate expression for her present state. It is as though she is dying, and yet life is returning to her."

Tom shook his head.

"I can't say I understand what you mean, but is she gonna be alright?"

"I don't know, Tom. Really, I don't. I'm sorry."

Tom sighed and ruffled his hair violently. What a goddamn mess...

How else was he supposed to interpret the things that came like a bolt out of the blue? His day had been going normally, nothing out of the ordinary, when suddenly, a blonde with he would have mistaken for Star were it not for the absence of two distinct hearts on her cheeks; in their stead was a pair of five-pointed stars of golden colour. Comet, Star's cousin if he recalled correctly, had casually waltzed into the Demon realm uninvited, demanding to see Tom at once. Normally, he would have ignored such intrusions, but when the guards told him that the girl was with a man carrying an unconscious girl in a flower-patterned dress, he practically jumped out the window to rush over and see what was going on, and he was swiftly filled in on the happenings. He was still amazed that he hadn't collapsed on the spot.

Moon Butterfly was dead. Star's mother, dead. And Mewni was now under the control of the Monsters, and leading them was a new ruler.

Marco.

Marco Diaz; one of his closest friends; the person he'd entrusted to protect Star and keep her safe; the karate-kid that, against all odds, had managed to marry into the Butterfly family. That Marco was now the new king of the Monsters, and there were already rumours that many of Mewni's provinces were now under his control, their former dukes and duchesses stripped of land and title unless they bent their knees to him, and Tom's own spies reported that he and a woman named Diana were planning to lay siege on the other magical kingdoms, the Demon Realm included. Tom didn't want to believe it at first, but the more reports that came in, the more undeniable it was. Marco was a ruler now, a usurper, and he was planning a conquest of the Realms.

Dammit, Marco! What's gotten into you!?

Tom's arm felt sore from the number of times he'd pinched it to wake up from whatever hellish nightmare this was, but he never woke up. This was reality now, it seemed, and he was about as lost as a snow cloud in the middle of a desert. It made no sense, and the worst part was that Mewni and Marco were the least of his concerns!

Zora, Star's adoptive daughter and future hair to the throne of Mewni, as was decreed some months ago, lay unconscious in one of the private chambers where Trisha had been taking care of her and conducting tests to ensure the girl was alright, and as Trisha had just elaborated, even she couldn't tell the girl's state with absolute certainty. As for Star, she was nowhere to be found. The last anyone had heard of the blonde princess was several hours ago when reports had run rampant of a bright flash of light emanating from Castle Butterfly's throne room, but if his spies word was to be trusted, nobody in the castle knew where she'd vanished to.

At least she hasn't been taken captive, Tom thought through a resigned sigh.

And there was another issue to address, or more accurately, two issues.

"If it weren't for you, she'd be dead," Tom said, turning to face the two figures at the other end of the room. Comet was resting her back against the wall, her arms crossed and her blonde hair hanging loose. Next to her was a tall figure dressed in black and red leather clothing, his face obscured by a mask, brandishing what appeared to be a steel knife. Both figures turned to face Tom, and the demon continued, "you still haven't explained how you know about all of this, or how you found Zora."

"Trust me, if I knew it myself, I'd tell you," the blonde girl, Comet, replied.

"Can you explain it to me again, because I still don't understand zilch."

"I don't mind, but it's not much to go off," Comet said, shrugging, "I was busy hunting for this bastard when he ambushed me and knocked me out," she pointed at the figure draped in red and black leather, "and when I came to, he told me some... interesting stuff about himself and the person he works for."

Diana, Tom thought. There was no need for Comet to mention that detail again. Comet chuckled to herself and added.

"Well, used to work for, because apparently, money is more than enough to buy the loyalty of even the person who murdered your own parents! Isn't that right, Korvin?" Comet practically spat at the figure with bitterness and resentment contained in each word. The figure chuckled.

"As I've said, princess, to me, it's just business, and right now, you're the highest bidder."

"Let me process this," Tom interjected, rubbing his temples. "You managed to bribe a crazed assassin who friggin' murdered your own parents to work for you?"

"You think I'm crazy? You should see my sister..." Korvin offhandedly commented. "Between the two of us, I'm the normal one!" He paused, and added with a mutter, "and the weaker one..."

"What other choice did I have apart from getting my throat slit?" Comet countered. "He can bend reality! And I don't mean with magic. He's a-"

"A breach of contract, princess?" Korvin remarked, balancing the tip of his knife on his index finger. He and Comet had a stare-off, and Comet was the one to forfeit.

"The bottom line is that I didn't exactly have many options open to me," she continued, "and after what I found out, I figured that having someone like him as an ally would come in handy, so I took the gamble, and it paid off." Comet turned to face Korvin again, and added, "and just so we're clear, once all of this is over and done with, I'm still going to kill you for what you've done to me!" Korvin only chuckled, then exited the room, and Tom thought for a moment that she would lunge after him, the blonde princess managed to keep her composure.

"Um, you can explain it to me later if you'd like?" Tom offered, but Comet sighed and raised her left palm.

"No, it's fine. Where was I? Ah, right. After that, I struck a deal with him. He'd tell me everything he knows and help us out, and in exchange, I promised him half my kingdom's treasury."

"Wait, how much!?"

"It's a small price given what I found out," Comet argued, "anyway, once that was over with, he contacted someone - don't ask me how - and whoever that was delivered Zora to us from the mess that was going on inside the castle."

"Delivered?"

"Well, delivered would be stretching it, I suppose," Comet scratched the back of her head. "More along the lines of dropped her off in the middle of nowhere for us to find along with... well..." Comet reached into her back-pocket and handed Tom a folded piece of paper. The demon took it in hand, expecting some kind of message, build all that was written on the note in big, bold letter was: 'U OWE ME!' along with what was probably the sender's name written in some strange runic language he couldn't even begin to comprehend, the curved letters blending into each other almost seamlessly. "After that," Comet continued, "we headed here since it seemed like our safest bet. You have done like I asked, right?"

"The borders are sealed," Tom said, gazing out the window and returning her the note, which Comet pocketed. "The moment I heard the news about Mewni, I had them sealed and barriers placed to prevent anyone from going in or out until we figure this mess out." Tom sighed, shaking his head. "But even those won't last forever. Eventually, they'll break, and we need to be ready when that happens." And we have to find Star. Tom didn't feel the need to express that sentiment. "So that guy told you about what that Diana is up to? And Marco?"

Comet nodded. "He told me about what's been going on lately on Mewni, yeah. Well, as much as he knew."

"But how does he know all this?"

"Won't tell me," Comet said, "said he couldn't; something about 'going against the rules' or something along those lines."

"And I'm gonna assume you've tried everything with the dude?" Comet nodded. "Of course..." Tom sighed and absently pressed the palm of his hand to his forehead. "Anyway, we've gotta figure out what we're gonna do now. We still have no real idea what Diana and Marco are up to, or where Star is, and I doubt this whole mess is gonna sort itself out, we need to-"

Suddenly, Trisha's head shot up, and her eyes grew wide. "Zora!" she exclaimed, and the next instant was bolting for the door.

"Trisha!" Tom exclaimed and ran after her. "Wait up! What's the sudden rush!?"

"I placed magical sensors on the girl to inform me when she wakes!" Trisha replied mid-run.

The two soon arrived at the room and Trisha burst through, panting. Tom soon followed, as did Comet, and the trio was met with a reassuring sight. Zora was indeed awake, sitting upright in the bed and staring at the bedsheets, her mask resting atop her head. She turned to face them, her expression calm and serene. Before they could get a word in, the small girl spoke up.

"I- I remember," Zora said, sitting upright. Tom, Trisha and Comet exchanged perplexed looks.

"What do you remember?" Comet asked, drawing closer to the girl. Zora stared at all three of them for a time, then reached up and took off the white-and-red cat mask from her head and turned it in her hands so the front was facing her. Her gaze remained locked on the object and she ran her finger along its whiskers, then looked up to face the three strangers once more, and spoke.

"Everything," Zora replied, strapping the cat mask onto the top of her head where it belonged, and added, her eyes glistering, "I remember who I am."

...

"Excellent work, Toffee," Diana said to the tall lizard as they strolled down the corridor. "A resounding success, as was expected."

"Have I ever let you down, Diana?" Toffee asked.

"No. You have always exceeded even my wildest expectations, and this time was no exception. With the conquest of the eastmost province, there should only be two dukes left opposing our new Lord's reign, and they cannot hope to stand against us."

"Indeed they cannot, Diana."

"I trust you have plans for defeating them as well?"

"By the end of the week, both dukes will either be kneeling before Lord Marco or dead. Their choice, naturally."

"An optimistic statement."

"Realistic, Diana, realistic," Toffee countered, "after all, those who disagree with the new rule are executed on the spot, as the Lord has decreed. Quite the persuasive tool, if I do say so myself."

"He has decreed what?" Diana asked aloud. "Why have I not heard of this?"

Toffee shrugged. "It doesn't really pertain you..."

"And you have been following this decree?"

"To the letter, Diana. To. The. Letter."

"I see..." Diana said, offhandedly, and the two arrived at a crossroads. "We will continue this discussion some other time, Toffee. I will go seek respite in my chambers. Ensure nobody disturbs me."

"As you wish, Diana," Toffee bowed and walked down the left corridor while Diana headed down the right, wearing a confident smirk all the while. She arrived at her assigned chambers and entered, and upon closing the door shut, Diana pressed one hand to her lips and the other to the nearby wall. Her stomach felt as though it was trying to digest expired acid, and she simply couldn't hold it in, and within moments, the contents of her stomach were spewed over the stone floor. She panted, gasping for air, a look of terror plastered on her face.

The boy had decreed what?

Submission or execution?

She knew he was cruel, but to give such a command...

"Just how many have died because of this decree?" Diana muttered, still hunched over.

Are you well, sister? Diana turned to the owner of the voice and was met by the sight of a floating red orb hovering some feed above the ground. You seem troubled.

"Tarlala, have you overheard...?"

I have, sister. It would appear that we have made some... miscalculations in our judgements.

"Miscalculations!?" Diana exclaimed, not even considering that someone could have been eavesdropping, but right then, she didn't care even if someone did. "Tarlala, everything is going wrong! The Cat is gone! Star Butterfly is gone! The boy is utterly mad! Mona is-" Diana choked on her words and quickly pressed a palm to her lips. This time, she managed to hold it in.

We knew the risks of our ploy, Diana. This is the only path left open to us now, lest we wish to abandon our endeavour?

"No..." Diana muttered, taking deep, calming breaths. "We cannot give up. Not now. Not after everything we've done; everything we've sacrificed."

Indeed, sister. Doing so would prove illogical. And yet...

"What, Tarlala?"

It is nothing, sister. I am merely wondering whether you regret the choices we have made?

Tarlala's question remained unanswered

...

Marco was sitting atop the gilded throne that was the symbol of the power of the Butterfly monarchy. At least, it had been. Now, it was a symbol of his new reign, and appropriately, he had it painted pitch black along with the rest of the throne room. Even the sunlight that flowed through the windows was tinted black by the stained glass serving as a replacement for the old one. Darkness suited him, and he wished to be enveloped in it. His chin was resting in one palm, and in the other, he was whirling a constant stream of Dark Magic, mesmerised by the pure power spinning like a small whirlpool. It was his to control, nobody else's.

Below him was Nerida, sitting on one of the stone steps leading up to the throne and gazing at the seashell necklace, the inside of which contained two portraits; one of her mother and one of her father. Other than her, he would allow nobody into this grand chamber without permission. Nerida was an exception. She had embraced what she was, just as he had, and her presence proved calming. Her he could confide in. I wonder...

"Do you know what the word tragedy means?" Marco calmly asked, releasing the magic, and Nerida turned to face him.

"Hmm?"

"Tragedy," he repeated. "Do you know the meaning?"

Nerida contemplated, and soon came forth with an answer, "either a Greek play or an event that brought lots of people sorrow."

"Both are correct, but it also has a third meaning."

"A third?"

Marco gestured her to come closer, and Nerida stood and did just that, stopping only when she could not walk a step further without crashing into the throne itself. "The first is as you have stated. A Greek play often ending in what they called catharsis. The second, also as you have stated. A tragic occurrence; an event that causes much pain, grief and suffering. Yet those are not the only meaning of the word. Few are familiar with the third, Nerida."

"Which is?"

"A tragic occurrence, yet one that keeps repeating itself over and over in one form or another, moreover, one that is unavoidable even if the actors involved necessarily know about it." Marco outstretched his hand, and Nerida placed hers atop it. "Every king needs a queen, Nerida," Marco said coolly, "and I offer you to become mine if you so wish."

Nerida considered the offer and gave a single nod. "I do. I always have. But what about Star? Isn't she betrothed to you?" Marco studied her for a time, and the two were like a pair of statues; perfectly motionless, still. Marco didn't reply, yet Nerida understood the implication. "I see..."

"Would this arrangement inconvenience you?"

"Inconvenience or not, I'm done denying who I am or what I want, Marco," Nerida replied. "I'm done running away."

"In that, you and I are alike." Marco brought the top of her hand to his lips and kissed it softly, then Stared into her eyes, his expression unchanging. "With this kiss, you are now my Queen, Nerida." He released her hand and gazed at his own, the one where the irremovable ring was still firmly situated. He stared at it, then squeezed his palm into a fist and gazed at the black ceiling where there was once a majestic tapestry of Mewni's rulers past and present, all clad magnificently and radiating like the sun. Now, there was only blackness, and soon, the rest of the world would share the tapestry's fate.

Thus ends Mewni, Marco thought, feeling a sense of peace, yet knowing there was much work to be done.


The end of the final chapter of Staring it up!

To be concluded in Star vs. the Forces of Evil: New Dawn.

...

...

...

And as the hordes of Monsters flooded the lands of the once-proud Kingdom of Mewni, gathering in numbers so great that their foes quailed and capitulated before the first arrow was loosed or the first sword struck, the despairing peoples told tales of a lone figure wandering about the lands, her silver hair swaying in the wind, promising them salvation from those dark days so long as they remain resolute and await her return. The tales of the figure spread like wildfire and the peoples yielded to the invaders yet remained steadfast in their hearts, for one day, they knew that she, the true heir of Mewni, would return to bring their salvation and shine her light upon the harrowing darkness.

FIN